The Sick Of The Palsy Healed

And, behold, they brought to him a man sick of the
palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus, seeing
their faith, said to the sick of the palsy, Son, be of good cheer; your sins
be forgiven you, etc.

Q. YOU have already told me, in the explanation of a former miracle,
what is to be understood both naturally and spiritually by the sick of the palsy, and that it implies
some obstruction to the circulation of the blood in the body, and of truth in
the mind, in consequence of which both the corporeal and mental organs are
rendered incapable of performing their proper functions. Can you now tell me why
the sick of the palsy, as here
recorded, is described as lying on a bed?

A. The reason is, because a bed, according
to its spiritual signification, figures and represents the natural principle of the life of man,
since what a literal bed is to
the body of a man, that the natural principle is to the spirit of a man. For
man, it is well known, or may be known, consists of two distinct principles,
the one natural, the other spiritual; in other words, the one formed
to be affected by, and to take cognizance of the things of this world, and the
other formed to be affected by, and to take cognizance of the things of another
world, namely. god, His law, His kingdom, His providence, His perfections,
and the relationship subsisting between Him and His creatures. Agreeable then
to this idea, the natural principle, as
being the lowest, may be regarded as the bed
of the spiritual principle, which
is above it, because the spiritual principle
rests upon, and finds its repose in the natural, in like manner as the body of man rests upon, and
finds its repose in a literal bed. That
bed has such a spiritual
signification, may be plain from these passages in the holy word, where
it is mentioned. Thus it is written in the Book of Psalms; Commune with your own heart on your bed,
(Psalm 4:4). And again, He deviseth mischief
upon his bed, (Psalm 36:4). And again, You will make all his bed in his sickness,
(Psalm 41:3). And again, When I remember you
upon my bed, (Psalm 63:6). And again, in Isaiah, The bed is shorter than that a man can stretch
himself on it) (Isa. 28:20). in all which passages, by bed is not meant a bed literally, but the natural mind or principle, on which the
spiritual mind or principle rests, and
in which it thinks. The awful sentence
therefore against Jezebel was denounced in these words, Behold, I will cast her into a bed,
(Rev. 2:22), to denote that she would be left to the natural mind or principle, and
to its false persuasions. It deserves however to be noted, that the spiritual bed here spoken of varies according to the state
of the natural principle, being a
soft and easy bed if the natural principle be brought into right subordination
to the spiritual, but a hard and uneasy bed, if such subordination be wanting.
By the sick of the palsy, therefore,
lying on a bed, is to be
understood the connection of the spiritual
principle with the natural, and that in this connection there was
some obstruction, which prevented the due circulation of spiritual principles
and persuasions in the natural life and its principles and persuasions.

Q. But it is said, that Jesus, seeing
their faith, said to the sick of the palsy, Son, be of good cheer; your sins
be forgiven you — what is it you understand by these words of the blessed
Jesus, Son, be of good cheer; your sins
be forgiven you?

A. Jesus, in calling the sick
of the palsy, his son, announces his divine parental affection to
all His distempered and suffering children, and this is language at once the
most tender, most consolatory, and most encouraging. When He says again to
this son, Be of good cheer, He
meant to announce, further, the presence and comfort of His own mercy and love, since it is
impossible that man can be of good cheer,
or, as it is expressed in the original, have confidence, by any other means than the communication
and reception of the divine favour and loving-kindness. And again, when He
pronounces, your sins be forgiven you, He
meant to declare the saving blessed effect of such favour and loving-kindness,
in removing and separating all the principles of sin and disorder, thus in
purifying the affections and thoughts from all defilement of iniquity, and
finally restoring the whole man, with all his principles both natural and
spiritual, to the order, the image, the peace and blessing of god and
heaven.

Q. But it is added, that certain of
the scribes said within themselves, This man blasphemes, And Jesus knowing
their thoughts said, Wherefore think you evil in your hearts? — what
instruction do you learn from these words?

A. I learn that sinful men, especially if their sin be strengthened and
supported by human learning, and what are commonly called great talents, are
ever ready to misinterpret the words of the most high, and to call His
wisdom foolishness, and the declarations of his mercy blasphemy. I learn
further an additional proof of the divinity of my saviour, manifested so
evidently in His discernment of the thoughts
of those with whom He was conversing; for who but the only god can
possess such discernment? Thirdly, from the significant question, Wherefore think you evil in your hearts? I
am taught to reflect, not only that all evil
thoughts proceed from a corrupt
heart, but also that they are in themselves most unreasonable and
groundless, being nothing more or less than oppositions to the divine love and wisdom of the Most high god.

Q. But the blessed Jesus adds, as a proof of the unreasonableness
of such evil thoughts, Whether is easier to
say, Your sins be forgiven you; or to say,
Arise, and walk?
— what do you conceive to be
the force and drift of this significant question?

A. My saviour would instruct me by this significant question,
that to forgive sins and to cure bodily
disease, are acts which equally require the exercise of Divine Omnipotence,
and that consequently the supernatural cure of a bodily disease implies the
power to cure a mental disease. He
would instruct me therefore to regard all His healing operations, exercised on
the bodies of men, as proofs most positive of His divine power to exercise
similar operations on the souls or spirits of men. And the reason is plain,
because sin, properly considered,
is nothing but a distemper of the soul; and to
forgive sin therefore, or, as it is expressed in the original, to remit it, means nothing more or less than
to remove that distemper. The blessed Jesus therefore, by every act of
healing exercised on the bodies of men, gave a full demonstration of His divine
power to heal their souls or spirits; in other words, to forgive sins: to which purpose He
declares afterwards, But that you may know
that the son of man has
power on earth to forgive sins, (then says He to the sick of the palsy )
Arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.

Q. And what do you conceive to be involved in the words, Arise,take
up your bed, and go to your house?

A. The injunction to arise,
involves in it spiritually an elevation of the affections and thoughts, or of
the will and understanding, from earthly things to heavenly; in other words,
from self-love and the love of the world to the love of god and
neighbourly love. The injunction again, to take
up the bed, involves in it a similar elevation of the natural mind,
with all its purposes, words and works, agreeable to what was said above
concerning the spiritual signification of the term bed. And lastly, the injunction, go to your house, spiritually considered, involves in it
a divine exhortation to the sick of the
palsy, and thus to every distempered child of man, to retire into
the interiors of his own mind, where the most high has His consecrated
abode, and there to dwell continually in the enjoyment of the divine presence,
favour and benediction of the god who heals
all his infirmities.

Q. In the conclusion it is said, that
he arose, and departed to his house. But when the multitude saw it, they
marvelled, and glorified god, which had given such power to men——what
do you learn from these words?

A. By the sick of the palsy arising,
and departing to his house, I am taught to discern the effect of
the divine word of the most high, produced in the ultimates of nature.
For such is the quality of the divine intention and thought, which is the same
thing with the divine word or speech, that it ever proceeds to its effect, which effect terminates in the ultimates of the natural world, and
from thence returns, by re-action, to its divine source. And from the multitude marvelling at the sight of the
effect, and glorifying godwhich had given such power to men, I am
further instructed in the true disposition and genuine character of the
followers of the blessed Jesus, that is to say, of the real living
members of His church and kingdom, namely. that they adore with wonder the effects
of His omnipotence, in removing the disorders both of body and mind, and thus
of restoring man to his original purity, order, and life; and further, that
they refer these effects to the union of the divine and human nature in the
person of the incarnate god, and thus worship Jesus Christ in His
divine humanity as One with the eternal father, consequently as
the supreme and only god, who has
all power both in heaven and earth.

Q. What then is the general instruction which you learn from this
miracle?

A. I learn again to adore the power of that merciful god and saviour,
which I find exercised in healing the bodily infirmities of mankind. But
I learn still more to adore that same divine power as applied to the removal of
spiritual infirmity and distemper, and as expressing itself in the divine
consolatory words, Son, be of good
cheer your sins be forgiven you. From
the account too of the above miracle, I receive an additional confirmation of
my faith in the divinity of my lord and saviour, of whom I find it
written, that He knew the thoughts of
those with whom He conversed, for such knowledge is a peculiar characteristic
of divinity, and consequently a demonstration that the person possessing it
could be no other than the supreme god. Again I learn, that the power of
healing bodily disease involves in it, of necessary consequence, the power of
healing spiritual disease, and that therefore the blessed Jesus, in
controlling the disorders of matter, exhibited
a proof most positive that the kingdom of mind
also was subject to His authority, and that of course he was able
likewise to control all its disorders, and to restore it to its proper health,
vigour, and enjoyment. Lastly, I learn what is the true temper and spirit of
the followers of this incarnate god, or of the members of His church and
kingdom, and that their minds are continually filled with wonder and adoration
at observing the effects of His mercy and omnipotence as exhibited both in matter
and in mind, and further, that they are led by those effects to the
acknowledgment of the incarnate god, and to the devout worship of Him in
His divine humanity, thus in His one-ness with the eternal
father. I am resolved therefore from now on to take this god for
my god, and to believe in and follow Him, as the restorer of the
breach in all the principles both of my body and of my mind. So may I
humbly hope, in all my sorrows and infirmities, to hear from His divine mouth
the consolatory words, Son, be of good
cheer, your sins be forgiven you; and penetrated with a lively and
grateful sense of the mercy and power of these divine words, I may finally
experience their blessed efficacy, in enabling me to arise, and take up my bed, and go to my house. amen.